Component display board

ABSTRACT

This invention provides an improved component display board adapted to receive components such as parts of a hydraulic circuit. Each component can be releasably clamped to horizontal support bars on the board in any desired position. The board is supported vertically on a track for horizontal movement and is normally locked frictionally on the track. To release the board moderate pressure is exerted on the lower side of the board, whereupon the board can be moved to abut a second board for coupling larger and more complex circuits to the boards.

United States Patent Inventors Raymond Gouge Richardson Toronto; Stanley Max Watkins, Ontario, both of, Canada Appl. No. 888,642 Filed Dec. 29, 1969 Patented Aug. 17, 1971 Assignee Richardson Equipment Company Limited Ontario, Canada COMPONENT DISPLAY BOARD 3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl. 35/19 ll, 35/75, 40/65, 49/130 Int. Cl 609!) 23/06 Field otSeareh.... 35/7 R, 19

R, 19 A, 19 B, 60, 62, 63, 73, HMO/65,125 F, 142 R; 49/l29, 130; 160/197 [56) References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,075,764 3/1937 Marten 40/142 R X 3,280,506 10/1966 Saudek 49/130 3,292,284 12/1966 Manzo .1 35/75 X Primary Examiner-Harland S. Skogquist Attorney-Rogers, Bereskin 84 Parr ABSTRACT: This invention provides an improved component display board adapted to receive components such as parts of a hydraulic circuit. Each component can be releasably clamped to horizontal support bars on the board in any desired position. The board is supported vertically on a track for horizontal movement and is normally locked frictionally on the track. To release the board moderate pressure is excrted on the lower side of the board, whereupon the board can be moved to abut a second board for coupling larger and more complex circuits to the boards.

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SREET 3 OF 3 II 0) A INVliN'H/HS STANLEY WATKINS RAYMOND G. RICHARDSON BY COMPONENT DISPLAY BOARD This invention relates to an improved display board and in particular to a display board on which hydraulic or pneumatic circuits or the like can be assembled for display.

It is desirable when experimenting with a hydraulic or pneumatic circuit or teaching the function of such circuits to mount the circuit components on a board so that the circuit path can be readily traced. The board should preferably have means for attaching the circuit components in such a way that they can be readily moved to various places on the board, and so that they can be removed or replaced easily.

The improved board of the present invention is adapted to receive components which may be releasably clamped to the board in any desired position. The board is slidably supported on a track which can be secured to a wall or similar support. A plurality of the boards may be attached to the track so that a number of individual circuits can be built up on the boards, or the boards can be brought together to build up one large circuit. The components can slide from one board to the next to facilitate assembling such circuits.

In its preferred form, the present invention comprises a board having a plurality of spaced-apart longitudinal bars on its front face for releasably receiving circuit components to be displayed. The rear face of the board is provided with a plurality of rollers which engage in a pair of parallel spaced-apart longitudinal tracks so that the board can be moved longitudinally. The rollers include at least one spring-loaded roller which is adapted to releasably lock the board to the track. The spring-loaded roller can be released from its locking engagement with the track by pushing against the front of the board, whereupon the board is free to slide longitudinally.

In the drawings which illustrate a preferred form of the invention:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a plurality of boards and their supply system;

FIG. 2 is a side view on 2-2 of FIG. 1',

FIG. 3 is a sectional view ofa board roller;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a spring-loaded board roller in its locking position;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 with the'spring-loaded roller in the unlocked position; and

FIG. 6 is a schematic exploded view ofa support plate for a circuit component.

Reference is first made to FIG. 1 which illustrates a typical arrangement of similar display boards 10a, 10b, and 100 set up for use individually with their respective supply consoles 12a and 12b (the supply console for the board 100 is not shown). The boards 10a, 10b and 100 are supported on similar longitudinal parallel track members 14 and 16 attached to a wall by screws 17. The track members 14 and 16 allow longitudinal movement ofthe boards, and the supply consoles 12a, 12b and 12c are supplied from a common duct 18 which may be concealed in the floor. A typical hydraulic or pneumatic device 20 (such as a valve, cylinder or motor) may be attached to support bars 22 and connected to pipes 24 from the console 12.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 2 and 3. The support bars 22 are equally spaced in parallel longitudinal relationship and are attached to the board from face, 25 by screws 26 (FIG. 3) which pass through the lower portion of the support bars 22 to hold the bars against the board. The upper edges of the support bars are spaced from the front face of the board 10 to allow components 20 (FIG. 2) to be hung from the support bars 22 as described below.

The board 10 is slidably supported by a plurality of spacedapart upper roller assemblies 28 and a plurality of lower spring-loaded spaced-apart locking roller assemblies 30 (FIG. 2) for allowing the boards 10a, 10b and 10c to be butted together to form a larger board area.

Reference is now made to FIG. 3 which illustrates the upper roller assembly 28 in detail. The roller assembly 28 is attached to the rear of the board 10 by three screws 32 (one of which is shown) and includes a flanged roller 34 which is free to roll track member 14. The upper roller assembly 28 further includes a body member 40 having a flange 42 for receiving the screws 32, and a cylindrical boss 44 having an axial threaded aperture 46 for receiving a roller attachment bolt 48. The attachment bolt 48 has an unthreaded cylindrical shoulder portion 50 for rotatably receiving the roller 34, and a threaded end portion 52 for engagement with the threaded aperture 46. When the roller attachment bolt 48 is fully tightened, the shoulder portion of the bolt 48 is in contact with the outer end of the body member boss 44 and the roller 34 is free to roll longitudinally between the flanges 36 and 38 of the track member 14. The roller 34 has flanges 54 which are on either side of the flanges 36 and 38 to thereby retain the roller 34 in the track member 14.

Reference is next made to FIGS. 4 and 5 which illustrate the spring-loaded roller assembly 30 in detail. FIG. 4 shows the roller assembly 30 locked; FIG. 5 shows the roller assembly 30 unlocked.

The roller assembly 30 comprises a body member 60 having a flange 62 for attaching the rollerassembly 30 to the rear of theboard 10 by screws 64 (one of which is shown). The body member 60 also includes a rearwardly extending boss 66 having a threaded axial aperture for threadably engaging-a bolt 68 which is locked in the body member 60 by a Iocknut 70. The bolt 68 acts as a spindle for a pair of flanged roller halves 72 and 74 and a washer 75 which are biased together by a coil spring 76 acting between the body member boss 66 and the washer 76. The spring 76 biases a pair of roller flanges 77 and 79 and the roller halves 72 and 74. respectively into contact with the in-turned flanges 36 and 38 of the track member 16. This arrangement frictionally locks the roller assembly 30 and board 10 to the track member 16. The roller assembly 30 may be unlocked by pushing against the front face of the board 10 near the roller assembly 30. The roller assembly 30 then moves into the FIG. 5 position where the spring 76 is compressed and the inner roller half 72 is no longer in contact with the flanges 36 and 38. The board 10 can then be moved longitudinally of the track members 14 and 16 into a new position. As soon as pressure is removed from the board, the roller assembly 30 returns to the locked position shown in FIG. 4.

Reference is next made to FIGS. 2 and 6 which illustrate a preferred form of support plate 78 for supporting a component 20 on the support bars 22. The support plate 78 comprises a generally planar portion 80 terminating at its upper end in a longitudinal hook section 82. The hook section 82 can be hooked onto the support bars 22 (FIG. 2) so that the plate 78 can thus be hung from the support bars 22 at any desired location. The plate 78 is also provided with a clamp 84 which consists of a bracket 86 which has a stud 88 (FIG. 3) welded to it for passing through a plate aperture 89 to engage a wingnut 90. By tightening the wingnut 90 the lower end of the clamp 84 can be clamped to the upper edge of a selected support bar 22. The plate 78 has a pair of holes 91 for receiving bolts which hold the component 20 (FIG. 2) to the plate 78.

The board 10 can be any convenient size and have any number of support bars 22. Large circuit components can be attached to component support plates which cover three (or more) support bars 22.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. Display board apparatus comprising a. a generally planar board having a front face and a rear face;

b. track means adapted to be secured to a wall or like support;

c. support means attached to the rear face of said board for slidable engagement with said track means to permit said board to be moved to selected positions along said track;

d. friction lock means coupled to said support means for frictionally locking said support means to said track means at any selected position on said track means, said friction lock means being releasable by applying pressure against said front face of said board; and

e. support bar means attached to said front face of said board from which articles to be displayed may be hung.

2. Display board apparatus as claimed in-claim 1 wherein said support bar means comprises a plurality of similar, spaced-apart parallel bars positioned on said board in a predetermined position relative to said support means.

3. Display board apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said track means comprises a pair of similar, opposed, spacedapart parallel track members. each of said track members having a pair of in-turned flanges; and wherein said support means comprises;

i. a pair of similar upper roller assemblies, each of said upper roller assemblies comprising a spindle rigidly attached to the rear face of said board, and a flanged roller rotatably journaled on said spindle for rolling engagement in a first of said track members between the opposed faces of said in-turned flanges, the flanges of said flanged roller engaging the edges of said in-turned flanges to prevent separation of said roller from said track member; and

a pair of similar lower roller assemblies, each of said lower roller assemblies comprising a spindle rigidly attached to the rear face of said board, a split flanged roller having a first roller half rotatably mounted on said spindle near the spindle outer end and a second roller half rotatably mounted on said spindle between said first roller half and said board, a coil spring disposed about said spindle between said second roller half and said board to bias said roller halves towards each other for gripping the other of said track members at the edges of said in-turned flanges to thereby frictionally lock said lower roller assembly to said track member. 

1. Display board apparatus comprising a. a generally planar board having a front face and a rear face; b. track means adapted to be secured to a wall or like support; c. support means attached to the rear face of said board for slidable engagement with said track means to permit said board to be moved to selected positions along said track; d. friction lock means coupled to said support means for frictionally locking said support means to said track means at any selected position on said track means, said friction lock means being releasable by applying pressure against said front face of said board; and e. support bar means attached to said front face of said board from which articles to be displayed may be hung.
 2. Display board apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said support bar means comprises a plurality of similar, spaced-apart parallel bars positioned on said board in a predetermined position relative to said support means.
 3. Display board apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said track means comprises a pair of similar, opposed, spaced-apart parallel track members, each of said track members having a pair of in-turned flanges; and wherein said support means comprises; i. a pair of similar upper roller assemblies, each of said upper roller assemblies comprising a spindle rigidly attached to the rear face of said board, and a flanged roller rotatably journaled on said spindle for rolling engagement in a first of said track members between the opposed faces of said in-turned flanges, the flanges of said flanged roller engaging the edges of said in-turned flanges to prevent separation of said roller from said track member; and ii. a pair of similar lower roller assemblies, each of said lower roller assemblies comprising a spindle rigidly attached to the rear face of said board, a split flanged roller having a first roller half rotatably mounted on said spindle near the spindle outer end and a second roller half rotatably mounted on said spindle between said first roller half and said board, a coil spring disposed about said spindle between said second roller half and said board to bias said roller halves towards each other for gripping the other of said track members at the edges of said in-turned flanges to thereby frictionally lock said lower roller assembly to said track member. 